When you are trying to be healthier, then being more active is an easy way to improve things. When I worked in the health and fitness industry, we had a yearly competition where we would be put in teams and we had to monitor our activity and how many steps we took per day. I worked in corporate fitness and it was surprising just how many people weren’t achieving very many, as we’re meant to aim for at least 10,000 steps per day.
I was sent an iHealth Wave activity tracker to try out. One of it’s features is that it does track how many steps that you take. It can also track and monitor your sleep, as well as calories that you burn. This also, unlike some other branded counterparts, can track swimming distance and calories.
The Setup
The setup of the tracker was really simple. All you need is a smartphone to get it started. There is an iHealth app to download and then you can get going. It allows you to enter your details like eight and weight. Then, according to how many steps you take, it can workout how many calories you’ll be burning. it really is interesting! There is a simple USB charger for the watch, so I just plugged it into my laptop to charge it up. I found the charging was quick and that it did last for several days before needing to be charged again.
What I Liked
First of all, I have to comment on the appearance of the watch. I like that it does look more like an actual watch. It is a lot more subtle that other activity trackers on the market, and does tell the time for you. So it looks less like you’re wearing an activity tracker. Which for me, is a good thing. I liked that it comes with another wristband, should you want to change colours according to outfit choice etc.
The second thing that I really liked is that your sleep is also tracked. Not only the amount of sleep that you are getting, but the quality of it. It lets you know when you were awake and at which points you were in a deep sleep. I found this interesting as I generally consider myself quite a deep sleeper. If you monitored it closely you’d be able to find a pattern and then set your alarm clock to wake you at the points when you aren’t in a deep sleep, for example. It would make waking up much easier!
I also like that your steps are counted and you can set alarms. So if you haven’t moved much for a while, it will vibrate to prompt you. This is good for me as a lot of the time I am sat at my desk. It certainly prompted me to be more active when otherwise I would just sit and carry on doing what I was doing.
What Could Be Improved?
In my opinion, there wasn’t too much that needed to be improved. However, I found that when I was at the gym, my exercise on a bike, for instance, wasn’t counted as steps. After a workout I would check my step count and it wouldn’t have gone up much, despite exercising. So it literally only counts steps. When I ran, swam, walked or use a step machine it worked fine, though. Other than that I was happy with the iHealth Wave tracker.
Overall Thoughts
Overall the activity tracker was really simple and easy to use. The swimming mode, automatic workout and exercise reminders make it stand out from other activity trackers, which is a definite plus. It’s great for anyone who wants to improve general fitness. I am certainly more conscious of how much exercise I have been doing s a result. So if you need to be moving more, I would definitely recommend this to you. I have found it fascinating!
If you’d like to be in with the chance of winning one for yourself, then all you have to do is to enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
Good luck – you’ll have until 11.59pm on 19th March to enter.
*The activity tracker was gifted in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.
Competition Terms and Conditions:
- The giveaway will run from 6am on 5th March 2017 and will run until 11.59pm on 19th March 2017, GMT.
- The prize is for one winner; one £30 voucher for partybagsandsupplies.co.uk.
- Open to UK residents aged 18 and over.
- All of the entries can only be completed through the Rafflecopter widget.
- All entries will be checked and verified.
- The winners is chosen at random, from all valid entries.
- The winner will be announced on 21st March 2017 and the winner will be emailed, as well as announced through AAUBlog’s social media pages.
- The winners will have 28 days to respond with their details, otherwise a new winner will be picked, following the same procedure.
i used to run a lot & want to get back into it now my little girl is getting older, if i can find some me time!
I do lots of walking as we have a dog. Walking up and down the sand dunes on our local beaches helps me stay toned! I also do yoga.
used to run, now mainly walking!
i do a lot of walking
I love taking long walks
I run. cycle and do yoga and pilates
I have reduced my exercise recently due to being 32 weeks pregnant with baby number 3 and uncomfortable but pre-pregnancy I ran 2-3 times a week for 30-45mins at a time and nip to the gym for 30 mins (ish) when my busy schedule allows!
I love to swim at the moment or walk the dog along the devon coast
I cycle and have long walks every day
I currently do circuit training or tabata
Oooh i could do with something like this. This one looks good. I’m starting an intensive fitness mission from 2mo as my holiday is in 7 weeks x
I go to a zumba and pound class on a Saturday morning and do yoga through the week.
My wife and I exercise by doing lots of housework (she’s a bit OCD on cleanliness) and gardening!
I do,voluntary work,at my local,animal,rescue centre taking the dogs out for walks so we both get excercise
At 8 months pregnant I’m not doing much exercising but I’ll be back walking soon & an activity tracker would be great!
I exercise at home. I enjoy spin biking.
I go swimming and do lots of walking
I try to do jogging, but if im being honest I mostly do long walks x
I walk mostly and run once a week
I’m on my feet all day long so walking is my exercise 🙂
I exercise by walking, mainly to various supermarkets, which is kinda boring but it helps me maintain my weight.
This year I joined a gym with my daughter I’m loving it
I don’t exercise, which is a shame, I do miss it. Pesky MS. This would be for my partner, she weight trains and runs on a treadmill when her knees allow it.
We’ve 3 dogs (so a lot of walking and we do agility) and no car (so cycle and walk a lot)
I walk
i take the dog out everyday try and power walk
I don’t have a car and so walk everywhere locally which keeps me fit
I walk whenever I can, exercise dvds at home or Just Dance or Zumba on Xbox
I cycle everyday x
plenty walking
I do toning exercises every day but no aerobic ones any longer
Just walking. I’m pacing myself.
I always go swimming once a week. I try to walk when I can.
I walk a lot & I love playing badminton.
I go cycling and swimming.
I go to the gym twice a week and go walking with my wife with our local walking club. Around 15 miles per week
I walk everywhere because I don’t have a car! I also have a very physical job and love yoga!
I used to walk a couple of miles in the evening, I really need to get back into the regime
Guilty of not getting enough exercise, love the idea of this reminding you to get up and move.
Walking my 5 dogs is the only exercise I do.
Hi
I do a 5 minute Kettlebell workout every morning.
I challenge anyone who doesn’t think this is very long to try this non-stop!
Sitting at a desk all day too, I take a brisk 15 minute walk during my working day too.
When fit and health, i primarily swim and do a bit of running.
I cycle to/from work every day and go for a walk each lunch time
I do 20 mins a day walking up and down the stairs
I exercise by walking Alf, my dog…
ideal for my long walks
at the mo. I just do Zumba once a week….I must really get back to the gym!
I walk a mile most days
I don’t currently exercise because I’m heavily pregnant and suffer with dizziness. But I worked out every day for at least 2 hours before I fell pregnant and am getting geared up for working out again once baby is here in a couple of weeks! I prefer working out along to videos as well as supplementing with walking/jogging.
I have an Aeropilates machine which is the best piece of kit I’ve ever bought, I also like walking but Aeropilates is something I do 6 days a week and get so many benefits from!
I have a fitbit flex which I have so many problems with. This actually looks much better and does a lot more too.
everyday life is my exercise walking, cleaning and gardening
I used to exercise a lot before having my son and then ‘I couldn’t find the time’ and my weight crept back up….I am just about to join a monthly subscription to swim whenever I want at our local pool! Can’t wait
I walk my dog 4 or 4 times a day
hi fab blog xx
lots of walking
LONG-LONG WALKS
I do yoga daily and try to go for a walk most days.
I walk the dog 5-10k a day and do 4-5 gym classes a week (bodyattack, pump and spinning)
I love swimming and walking.
morning! i do alot of walking, not as much as id like though!
Yoga and Pilates at the moment
I go to the gym about 5 times a week and walk in my local woods around the lakes
Walking the dogs, swimming, generally running around.
I weight train at home 3 times a week and also run 3 times a week.
walking our 2 dogs is the way I exercise
I like going for walks and also training at the gym.
I like doing the 30 day shred dvd
I’m trying to get my pre-pregnancy body back for our family holiday and i go for quick morning run and evening walks. Thank you
Hi, I enjoy walking its fun and healthy xx
I do Yoga -hatha & power yoga with weights
I run once a week. I also do aqua-aerobics (more in the Summer months)
I go to exercise classes and work out at home
I do walking, spinning and yoga
i love walking
I exercise at home when kids are in school.
I can never find time to excercise as I work 10hrs a day, but my job Is physical and I dont get to sit down
I currently do Pilates, Yoga and Spinning classes.
Hi; not doing much excercise at the moment; thinking of going to a Yoga class in the near future.
i try and do charlotte crosby dvd as it works really well for me, although i struggle to keep to it!
I do a lot of walking to stay fit and to lose weight, but I do not think my simple pedometer represents the “work” I do!
We love sswimming as it’s something we can do with the little one
I go to an aerobics class twice a week for the over 50s
I don’t exercise much (I know) though I work on my feet all day so walk a lot x
I don’t exercise a lot at the moment as I have just started exercising regular. just taking it slow to start
I mostly only walk or do some Wii Fit!
No exercise at moment, but this would be an incentive to get started
I try to go out walking every day
I go to the gym 3/4 times a week 🙂 x
I walk the dogs! I love these activity trackers, been wanting to own one for ages but still don’t!
I try to go for a walk everyday
Cycling 🙂
I currently do a Jillian Michaels workout dvd at home – it’s easy to set up but it’s as good as a workout at the gym!
Since getting our dog I do a lot more walking, it’s great for getting you out whatever the weather. I’m definitely a lot fitter now although not that much slimmer unfortunately! But that is down to too much cake and wine!!
I ride my bicycle every day to the village and back to get the newspaper – about 2 miles.
I try to do 40 mins of cycling 4 days a week 🙂
i do 15 min yoga every morning x
I could probably do with doing a bit more exercise but I try to walk a few times a week
The main exercise I actually enjoy is cycling
Walking, love it outdoors fresh air and pounding feet.
i walk the dogs
Just walking at the moment but would like to start cycling when the weather gets a bit better
not as often as I’d like. Need to get back to the gym
One of my friends has an activity tracker and is finding it an excellent gadget for her fitness routine. I walk everywhere but hope to get a new bicycle sometime soon.
hi , I need to improve my fitness, so this would be perfect .
Love that you can wear this swimming, so much better than my fitbit!
Just walking really as I’m trying to put on weight but I need to do more!
do alot of walking and go running when I can
every day I cycle to work.
I do a daily gym and swim (an hour of each) 🙂
I’ve just started walking more and really enjoying it, this would be great to track how many steps I’ve done
Mine is swimming and walks
I have a gym membership I don’t use very often but I do walk a lot!
I walk and try and swim sometimes. Great competition!
Mainy
I practice yoga as disabled but would love this for my sister who has just started running
I alternate between yoga and Pilates everyday 😉
As well as needing to lose a little weight I have been referred to a neurologist due to jerking violently in my sleep. The iHealth tracker would be great for both measuring my exercise levels and also my sleep patterns. Great giveaway x
walks at the weekend and walking to work
I am an occasional jogger but i mainly keep fit with long walks with our dog Audrey
I run ever day for 5 miles and love it
I do lots of walking x
Great prize, would love it for showing my progress
I try to do a little bit of exercise 6 days a weeks, might not be much, but it’s intense
Cant atm untill results of mri scan.but hope to be back in gym soon
I walk the dog every day and make an effort to get moving a bit at work – which can be difficult as I have a desk job – but even things like walking up and down the stairs a few extra times every day helps
Chasing after my 2 year old! I also occasionally do a fitness class.
I bike daily, but probably not nearly enough, could do with pushing myself!!! Great prize to help encourage that!!!
Hi, I try to do a power walk about 3 times a week, ill health stops me a fair bit but you have to try! This would definitely keep me motivated. Thank you for the chance.
I’m doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred at home
I love to cycle. I’d really like to get into running but so far I’ve struggled to motivate myself.
I do a lot of walking and hiking at the weekends.